It is a time of fear in the face of freedom, a time of an emptying country and swelling cities, a time for the widening of previous roads and the opening of new paths, yet a time when these paths are mined by knowing algorithms of the all-seeing eye. It is the time of the warrior's peace and the miser's charity, when the planting of a seed is an act of conscientious objection. These are the times when maps fade, old landmarks crumble and direction is lost. Forwards is backwards now, so we glance sideways at the strange lands through which we are all passing, knowing for certain only that our destination has disappeared. We are unready to meet these times, but we proceed nonetheless, adapting as we wander, reshaping the Earth with every tread. Behind us we have left the old times, the standard times, the high times. Welcome to the irregular times.

Columbus, Ohio Polling Place Report for Election Day 2008

I’ve just come back from a visit to four polling places in the area surrounding the campus of Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. This was, you may recall, the epicenter for long lines and voter irregularities in the presidential election of 2004. What I saw in these visits from 9:00 to 9:30 was straightforwardly positive: people were voting and there were no lines. Here’s a typical view, outside the Northside Library on High Street:

The gentleman in the yellow-green vest on the right is a monitor working with the AFL-CIO in case of any voting difficulties. He’s from out of state, so he has to remain outside the polling place, but there is also an observer with the Obama campaign inside the building. The other folks in the picture are with the Obama campaign, acting essentially as voter shepherds. In the event of a long line, they’ve got snacks and water and encouragement to offer people to stay in line and wait it out. There was no McCain campaign presence here or at the other polling places I visited.

Please don’t let this picture lull you into complacency. At each of the polling places I visited, there had been lines early in the morning, from 6:30 to 7:30 am, as people sought to get voting out of the way before heading to work. Will lines return in the late afternoon as people head to the polls from their workplaces? I’ll keep an eye out and let you know.

[11:45 am Update: I’ve just finished revisiting these four polling places. There are currently no lines at any of them.

3 comments to Columbus, Ohio Polling Place Report for Election Day 2008

The same happened here in a small borough outside of Philadelphia, early on it was a long line (which moved relatively quickly once it began), and by about 9:30 the lines were MUCH shorter (and the poll workers got a small break in their day). i noticed a Republican “county elections official” (by her badge) in attendance. i didn’t notice a Democratic one, but he or she was probably there.

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